


To Fail And Know We Fail

by Katherine



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Hiding Injuries, Hurt Comfort Exchange Treat, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-01 03:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18791755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katherine/pseuds/Katherine
Summary: The inside of Adora's head was whirling around, so she almost had a reason for not immediately noticing that Catra was acting strangely. Their paths crossed in the corridor near barracks, much earlier than usual turning-in time, after the day's separate training.





	To Fail And Know We Fail

**Author's Note:**

  * For [planetundersiege](https://archiveofourown.org/users/planetundersiege/gifts).



The inside of Adora's head was whirling around, so she almost had a reason for not immediately noticing that Catra was acting strangely. Their paths crossed in the corridor near barracks, much earlier than usual turning-in time, after the day's separate training.

Catra was moving on all fours, not that unusual for her, but with a slower pace than her normal one, and her tail was held low. When inside the deserted room Catra aimed for Adora's lower bunk, instead of jumping up to her own, Adora knew for certain that something was wrong. That was reciprocal, though. Catra was looking right at Adora, her expression knowing. She could tell that Adora was in pain.

Adora felt doubly sick: the nausea from the hit to her head, and the sick-shame sensation of failure. She should have done better in the training, should have evaded being injured, and should at least have successfully hidden that she had been. But it had always been hard for her to hide anything from Catra.

Anyway, Catra was hurt too, from her own session with Shadow Weaver. More excuse in that than Adora had, since Adora had been only in one of the simulations. Not that any excuse was ever good enough for those who were part of the Horde.

Sitting down heavily on her bunk, Adora pushed her pillow to the middle. She could thus unobtrusively watch Catra curling up, and Catra was definitely favouring one leg.

Catra's ears angled back as she said, a certain hiss in her words that was only there when she was hurting or angry, _"Stupid._ Should've dodged that." Catra had no need to say: _No one else can see. Don't tell._ Nor did Adora about her own hurts. They kept each other's secrets.

Squinting, as the reduction of sight helped the nausea a little, and moving slowly, Adora retrieved Catra's blanket and pillow from the top bunk. With those and her own, she made a sort of mounded nest for them both. Resting helped most injuries, and it wasn't like the rest of the cadets didn't already see the two of them literally sleeping together. Not-sleeping together was for the dark and for secret places, not in barracks before it was even night.

Catra shifted, tucking her face close against Adora's neck. Despite the fact that moving even her arm had her head spinning again, Adora reached and lightly stroked Catra's shoulder. Catra sighed, relaxing a fraction; Adora did as well. They had been hurt separately, and getting hurt was always a failure here under Shadow Weaver. But they could manage yet another set of secrets for them to carry together, holding on to the secrets and to each other.


End file.
